Is Mike Wenzloff still active on this forum?

[DCarr10760]

Some time ago I bought a bunch of Sycamore, large beams (3 x 6) with an idea to make a workbench. After letting them acclimate awhile (a decade) in my shop, I decide to build a small carving bench with them. I intend to make trestle style legs, like on a European bench with stock dressed to 3x3. So I needed to buck up a couple of these beams and rip them straight down the middle.

So I am almost completely Neanderthal these days and while I still have a TS, DP and BS, I vowed not to use anything but muscle-powered hand tools for this entire project. So I wasn't looking forward to ripping 12-feet of 3-inch thick sycamore, but I was determined to do just that.

I bucked it all up into rough lengths first, figuring this would be easier than trying to rip the whole thing first. Dunno it that's true or not, but that's what I did. I have dozens of saws but I wanted to try the Seaton saws that Mike Wenzloff made for me years ago, I think mine were among the first to have his medallion, but pre-date the etch he uses now. Through the years I have used the saws, but mostly in softwoods and thin stuff at that. This was going to give both the saws and me a real workout.

To make a long story short, these saws just sailed through the wood! It was almost fun and quite satisfying. I did all of the cross cuts and the rip cuts in just under an hour and a half, moving the saw at a nice even pace. Once I got into the rhythm of it, it went quickly. I used the normal grip and at times two- handed. I focused on making the longest cuts I could using the full length of the blade.

I was worried that I might inadvertently pull the saw out of the kerf carelessly and bend the saw plate, but I learned to peek at the saw as it traveled on the upstroke and see when the little nib at the toe of the saw appeared and used that as a guide to know when to reverse thrusters and drive the saw down. I wonder if that is what the nib was used for? Doesn't matter, it worked for me. I've never enjoyed using a tool more. What wonderful saws! Thanks again Mike!

Here's a picture made during a cut and then after. A fun day in the shop!

David

[Strokes77]

Wow that is one heck of a rip cut.

[Guest]

That's the best guess about the purpose of the nib I've ever heard.

[MarkSingleton]

Hank Knight in SC said:

---

That's the best guess about the purpose of the nib I've ever heard.

---

It does make a tremendous amount of sense. Far more sense than the "decoration" line that supposedly came from Disston long ago. We likely will never know for sure, but this observation and use makes me wonder if this is the answer.

[tshiker]

^^^^What he said!^^^^^

[Philip1231]

Be it known to all, from this date forward, it shall be known as the "DCarr Nib".

[DaveParkis]

Philip1231 said:

---

Be it known to all, from this date forward, it shall be known as the "DCarr Nib".

---

Amen.

[Ted C]

Philip1231 said:

---

Be it known to all, from this date forward, it shall be known as the "DCarr Nib".

---

Wow! The mystery of a handsaw phenomenon has been solved! And by someone with the same last name as me ..

[DCarr10760]

Well thanks all! Though after posting this I did some searching on the Old Tool List Archive and that use had already been suggested, so while it was a Eureka! moment for me, others have made the same observation.

One account I read was nearly identical to mine, his discovery was, like mine, made after ripping a thick board for a long time. Maybe you have to experience this to truly understand it?

Incidentally, my shoulders and arms really hurt! But you know what doesn't hurt? My hands. You would think that hours of heavy sawing would raise a blister or two? Heck an hour of raking leaves and I'm a bloody mess. But the shape of the handle and its finish left my hands unscathed even after all that work.

I'm left to conclude that the guys who developed these saws in the 18th century knew exactly what they were doing when shaping the handles and that they were more functional than beautiful, and developed tools that met the needs of serious use.

I used to think that the old handles were largely decorative. But after using them awhile they are very comfortable with a variety of different grips. I think the shape of the handle justifies all the work required to make them beautiful.

Applying this same concept to the nib, I can't imagine that manufacturers of saws in the 18th century, doing many of these operations by hand, would invest the time to form and shape the nib if it was only a decorative convention.

[MarvW]

Hi David...

A few added thoughts.... if I may;

If the nib is such a useful addition to a handsaw, why don't we see it on more saws?

There are many ways to accomplish identifying on a saw blade where the back stroke should end that would have been much less time consuming than filing in a nib. We know it was filed in, because when examining many different saws that have a nib, there are no two alike.

As we know, any saw performs a certain way based on not only how the handle is shaped, but also the profile of the teeth. It would be interesting to know.... number of points per inch, rake angle and the amount of set. These are aspects as to why the saw performs so well that can and should be attributed directly to Mike Wenzloff .

Is the blade taper ground?

I for one, really miss Mike's input on the various forums.

Thanks for the pics and sharing your thoughts...